Starting Out on the Right Foot
Like most parents of young children, Allyson Cooper of
But she's also kept a close eye on Hannah's feet and how she walks.
Cooper said her husband is pigeon toed, his feet turning inward. And when she noticed that Hannah's feet turned slightly inward when she first started walking and that she tripped over her feet a lot in the months that followed Cooper took Hannah to see a podiatrist.
"We have terrible feet in my family," said Cooper.
As it turned out, Hannah's condition was not severe. For now, she needs no orthotic treatment or other corrective measures, said her podiatrist, Dr. Lori Flaherty of
But that's not the case with all children. In fact, local podiatrists say, children's foot problems can become more severe and harder to treat as they grow up.
Unfortunately, said Dr. K. David Flora, a Tulare podiatrist, unless a child is born with an obvious or severe foot problem, such as clubfoot, parents often don't think much about the health of their children's feet.
Among the more common problems seen by podiatrists say is a condition known as "flatfoot," in which the bones that form the arch essentially collapse. The condition can be apparent at birth or show up years later, according to the
And it isn't always painful.
But, over time, flatfoot results in tenderness of the feet or causes them to tilt or "pronate" inward. If severe he pronation isn't treated, Flaherty said, it can cause a child's joints to grow out of proper alignment. And there are numerous other conditions that can cause pain to children's feet and legs, including:
- Injuries suffered during play and sports
- Warts
- Bursitis caused by poorly cushioned shoes.
Even the process of growing up itself can cause some foot pain. Flaherty said that during the growth spurts normally experienced between the ages of 9 and 12, children sometimes experience painful irritation in the heel's growth plate.
Unfortunately, said Flora, heel pain, leg pain and arch pain in children often are ignored by adults who believe the pain will go away on its own.
As a rule of thumb, Flaherty said, parents should keep in mind that children usually don't complain about foot pain. When they do, he said, those complaints should be taken seriously.
Sometimes the problems aren't very serious, however. Children may grow out of them on their own, as Cooper's daughter appears to be doing.
But that doesn't mean Cooper will stop keeping an eye on her daughter's feet, and how she walks, as she grows up.
Other conditions do require medical intervention. Among the most common treatment methods are bracing and the use of corrective shoes or orthotics plastic-like inserts made to support the arches or cushion painful areas on the feet.
In some cases, that extra arch support can correct arch problems over time, particularly if the treatment starts when the children are very young and bones are most malleable, Flaherty said.
"When you catch these things when they're young, they're easier to treat than when they're 12," he said.
Other times, the solution to children's foot-related problems may be as simple as losing weight or cutting down on sports or other activities that put a lot of stress on their feet.
Flaherty said wearing soccer cleats can be particularly hard on children's feet, especially when wearing them while walking on pavement or other hard surfaces. She said that once children are done playing soccer, they should take off their cleats and put on street shoes.
In some cases, surgery may be the best treatment, Flora added.
As for preventing foot problems, he said good foot care, even for young children, can help.
Cutting children's toenails regularly and straight across can prevent ingrowing, he said.
Applying moisturizing creams to feet regularly can prevent dryness and cracking that might allow viruses and bacteria to thrive.
A problem he often sees among children, starting at about age 8, is the appearance of foot warts, which are caused by viruses that can enter the foot through scratches.
Walking in a pool with a rough bottom is one way children commonly scratch their feet and develop warts; and Flora suggests that children wear sandals or water shoes in pools.
Flaherty said many foot problems are inherited, though. Parents with foot problems should take their children to a podiatrist or family doctor for a foot screening as early as age 1, he said.
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